


I Miss The King

by NikaylaSarae



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Blood, Fighting, Hurt/Comfort, Weapons, death talk, injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:48:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25552333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NikaylaSarae/pseuds/NikaylaSarae
Summary: Remus had known the odds for his survival weren’t good when Roman had stepped into the ring.
Comments: 7
Kudos: 46





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a 2-sentence prompt on Tumblr: _"I miss you… I miss the King” a sigh “Apparently, it’s the same for me.”_
> 
> Cross-posted with minor edits from my Tumblr account @stillebesat.

_**"I miss you...I miss the King."** _

_**A sigh. "Apparently, it's the same for me."** _

_ Wait. What? _ Remus staggered back, left arm aching from where Roman’s sword had hit his shield. “It is?” He breathed, unable to mask his surprise as he used his battleaxe to block the blade swinging for his head. 

But Remus had only said that to throw Princey off his groove. He hadn’t expected Roman to--to---to  _ agree!  _

Why would the Passionately Perfect Prince  _ miss  _ being the King?  _ Miss  _ Dark Dingy Duke Remus being a part of him? 

Roman raised an eyebrow, twirling his sword expertly in his hand as he circled Remus, ignoring the cheers and jeers of the crowd surrounding the sand pit they’d been tossed into a la Gladiator style. “Believe me, I didn’t want to. I don’t  _ like  _ you Remus. What you--” He gestured with his weapon. “ _ Represent _ about us.”

_ The worst parts.  _

Like he had been given a freaking choice about  _ how  _ they’d been separated. Remus snarled and struck, swiping at Princey’s legs with the battleaxe. “Like you’re so  _ perfect. _ ” He hissed. “You and your stupid swelled head! I’m glad!” He swung again. “GLAD that you  _ took  _ the Ego.” He jumped, avoiding Roman’s sword striking for his knee, and pressed in his attack, using his shield to keep his other half at bay. “It leaves me  _ very  _ comfortable in my skin, Princey.” 

Comfortable with being considered the  _ lesser _ half because he didn’t fit the stereotypical look for Royalty. It didn’t matter. He was  _ fine  _ with who he was now. Comfortable with being the  _ dark  _ side of the King. He wouldn’t have survived so long in this Gladiator pit against opponent after opponent if it weren’t for those darker attributes keeping him alive. So yes. He was comfortable being himself. He  _ had _ to be. 

“If you’re  _ sooo  _ comfortable.” Roman growled, wiping blood from his cheek from where Remus had hit him with the edge of his shield. “Then  _ why  _ bring up that you  _ miss  _ being  _ him _ ?!” He darted forward, blade flashing under the burning sun. “You can’t say that you don’t feel it, Remus. Feel that  _ emptiness _ that nothing can fill.”

So what if he did? It wasn’t like they could fix it.  _ This.  _ THIS separation was  _ permanent.  _ They couldn’t  _ fix  _ it. Not this time. 

“Because I’m  _ EVIL,  _ IDIOT! IT’S WHAT I DO!” Remus yelled, ignoring the wetness that flooded his eyes. Things had been going so well for them before---before---before----He snarled dropping the shield to use both hands to swing his axe full force at his other half, pressing his attack. “AND. YOU. ARE. A. SOFT. SENT. A. MEN. TAL. FOOL!” He snarled, kicking sand up in a cloud to blind Roman because  _ evil  _ doesn’t ever fight fair. It wasn’t in his  _ nature.  _

And it was all Roman’s fault. If he had only  _ listened  _ to that sense of something being wrong then  _ they  _ wouldn’t have been in this mess.  _ They  _ could have been WHOLE. 

He kicked out, catching Roman in the chest and sent him staggering backwards into the wooden wall of the pit that had been Remus’s home for the past fiveever. 

His other half gasped out, ducking down and away from the wall just as Remus’s battleaxe dug deep into the wood where his head had been. 

I t had been such a simple plan. Distract the Prince and live just a little bit longer. Throw him off his groove. Say a few trite words, toss sand in the idiot’s face while he was momentarily distracted and walla! Remus would be able to live another day in this hellhole as his other half perished in a pool of blood, leaving him the last remaining link to their long gone Kingdom.

Only--

Remus stiffened as the cool metal of Roman’s sword pressed against his neck before he could pull his axe free from the wall.

_ The bad guy always loses.  _

“Let go.” The Prince commanded, the edge of his sword digging a little deeper into his skin, not yet drawing blood. But very close to it. 

Remus closed his eyes, fingers reluctantly pulling free from the handle as his mind raced for any solution, any trick, that could possibly save him as Roman forced him away from the wall, moving him back to the center of the sand pit where his death would be best viewed by the roaring crowd around them.

His shield out of reach, his axe stuck deep in the wood, the sword right at his throat.

_ You tried. You failed. Time to accept the consequences.  _

He exhaled, forcing a smile on his face as he snapped his eyes open, lifting his chin high. “Come on, Princey.” He said, meeting his other half’s princely eyes as they stopped in the center of the ring.. “Do it already. One swift swing and you’ll be free of your Darkness.” 

Remus had known the odds for his survival weren’t good when Roman had stepped into the ring. Had known that  _ this _ would be the most likely outcome.

Still. For once. He’d hoped to have something well… _ good _ …work out in his favor. To be the victor. To be the best for once. 

But it looked like Roman would be the last remaining link to everything and one they had once represented. Not him.

_ It never was him.  _

The Prince’s fingers went white on the handle, his eyes flashing as the roar of the crowd reached glass shattering levels. “I don’t like you, Remus.” He said as he pulled the sword back, twisting it as he positioned the point to pierce him in the heart. 

Remus smirked, dropping his eyes to the blade. “No one does, Ro.” He whispered as Roman surged forward.

And no one ever would. 


	2. Chapter 2

The sword dipped down at the last possible second, digging deep into the sand between his feet 

Remus gaped, mouth dropping open as his brain stuttered to comprehend that---that---”You missed?” How to blazes was that even possible! He’d been right in front of Roman. How could he freaking miss--

Roman smirked as the crowd fell silent, only now realizing that the Prince had failed to kill him. “No, I hit my target.” He twisted the sword in the sand.

A loud click sounded underneath their feet and the arena and crowd abruptly vanished from view as the ground gave way, sending the two of them plummeting into the black void below.

Remus didn’t even have time to scream before they hit the bottom, his legs giving out as he encountered a large mound of sand as more rained down on him from above. 

Coughing he rolled over spitting the gritty texture from his mouth. Gah! He’d be tasting that for--

“Don’t just lay there!” Roman hissed, already standing as he pulled Remus to his feet like he weighed nothing. “Come on, Come on. MOVE.” Princey took off, practically dragging him by the hand down a dimly lit passageway as the yells of the Arena Wardens sounded from the hole over their heads

Wardens who were quite vindictive in their punishments when they caught their Gladiators trying to escape. 

_ Escape.  _

Heart hammering in his ears, Remus forced his feet to run, the tight grip on his hand preventing him from slowing even if he wanted to as his other half lead them through the maze of corridors below the Arena that he hadn’t known existed. 

If only he’d known sooner! Remus had long ago given up hope of ever leaving this place alive and---and now---Now he was.  _ With  _ Roman. 

“Why?” He demanded, ducking his head to avoid a low hanging beam as Roman dragged them down yet another fork in the maze with the confidence of one who’d built the place. 

The Prince glanced to him, his already tight grip feeling like iron shackles on Remus’s bony hand as he squeezed it. “A King doesn’t forsake his subjects.” 

Remus snorted. Wasn’t that how they got into this mess in the first place? “That’s Freaking Bullshi--” 

Roman jerked him around a corner, nearly sending him flying into the wall. 

Remus growled, stumbling over his feet to avoid kissing the bricks. “What was that for?!” He demanded. 

His other half shrugged, attention more on the path in front than his dark side behind. “Language.” 

_ Language _ ? LANGUAGE?! “Like you bloody cared before!” Like there was anyone around to hear them.

“I care  _ now.”  _ Roman hissed, shooting him a glare his eyes blazing in the torchlight. “I  _ have  _ to. You  _ think  _ it’s easy having to be the  _ good  _ guy all the time? That I  _ like  _ it?” He demanded as they reached a solid metal door. “News flash, Dukey. You may be  _ comfortable  _ being You now, but I’ve yet to grow used to this---” He gestured to himself.  _ “Forced Goodness _ . So just SHUT IT.” 

Remus made a face as his chest twisted uncomfortably. He hadn’t...hadn’t ever thought that Roman wouldn’t like being…well the good side. 

He tugged his hand free as Princey pulled a key out of his boot, sliding it into the lock. “This hardly seems...good.” 

Roman growled. “I’m saving my family, idiot. That’s a good thing.” 

_ Family?  _ That was---such a weird way to phrase their relationship. They’d been one original person once upon a time. It wasn’t like they were actually  _ brothers  _ or anything. “You’re aiding and abetting the dark side of the KING. That’s just--not a good thing.” Remus shot back. “You should have killed me instead! Now  _ that  _ would be considered good.”

The door swung open. “Like killing someone is ever considered g _ ood _ .” 

“It  _ is  _ if the victim is a  _ bad guy! _ ” Remus growled following right behind Roman as they darted outside, his other half leading them straight for the gangway of a small spaceship waiting there for them.

He’d killed hundreds of people in that arena to be able to live one more day. To survive! He had had to use all the ruthlessness and trickiness within him to win each fight and that hardly made him worth redeeming.  _ Worth saving.  _

“Victim means they were a  _ good  _ pers--are you actually trying to convince me to kill you?” Roman demanded, grabbing him again by the hand as they ran up the gangway. 

“No! I’m just---” Remus ducked, pulling Roman to the right and shoving him forcefully inside as shots rang out followed by the _ping ping ping_ of bullets hitting the ship. “Showing you that you’re hardly acting like a Fully Good Letter-of-the-Law type of Person!” He said, frantically pressing buttons by the door to get it shut before they ended up filled with more holes than a block of Swiss Cheese. 

“And you’re hardly acting like the Dark Back-Stabbing Chaotic Evil Person that you say you are.” Roman retorted, reaching around him to press a large red button with **DOOR** written on it. “You did just save my life thirty seconds ago did you not?” 

_ Hey!  _ That wasn’t--he--- Remus whirled to explain that knee-jerk reaction away and grunted as Roman grabbed him, pulling him into a tight hug as the door slammed shut.

Remus tensed, eyes wide with surprise, a strangled sound leaving his throat.    


_ Hugging?  _ Why was  _ Princey  _ HUGGING HIM?! “Prin--wha?” He managed to eloquently stutter out.

Roman squeezed him tighter. “I missed you.” He mumbled into his shoulder, breath hitching. “Not the King. Just--just  _ you.  _ And I--I didn’t want to, but I do and---I couldn’t let--you couldn’t  _ die, _ Rems. I couldn’t let--” 

_ Oh.  _ OH. 

It felt like a wall crumbled within him, leaving Remus trembling like a leaf. He closed his eyes, melting into Roman’s hold as his own arms wrapped around his other half, hugging him back just as hard as the ship’s engines roared to life, lifting them into the sky. Away from the Arena. Away from the death and blood. Away--- 

He swallowed, struggling to speak over the lump forming in his throat. This wasn’t at all like being whole again. But here, in this moment, finally free from the nightmarish Arena with his other hal--with his  _ Family--Brother?  _ In his arms…It was close enough. 

He inhaled raggedly, squeezing Roman even tighter. _“_ I missed you too, Ro.” He whispered. _“Just you.”_


End file.
